Holi VC
With the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Act 2017 having passed through Parliament this week, clearing the way for negotiations to leave the EU, and with feelings about Brexit still running high, a special One World Week ‘Question Time’ was always going to be interesting.
The one-off event, hosted at the Attenborough Centre, centred on a panel of experts from across the University that included:
- Nadya Ali, Lecturer in International Relations
- Steven Burman, Professor of American Politics & History
- Mike Collyer, Professor of Geography
- Dr Kamala Dawar, Lecturer in Commercial Law
- Dr Peter Holmes, Reader in Economics
- Chris McDermott, Lead Chaplain
- Adele Duvillier, elected Students' Union officer and international student
The panellists discussed and answered audience questions on topics including Brexit, the election of Donald Trump, big data and prevalence of fake news; and whether expert opinion, in light of these events, can regain the trust of the public.
In his closing remarks, Vice-Chancellor Adam Tickell talked about the importance of opening oneself up to doubt – particularly in the face of strong conflicting opinion, while always listening intently to other people to make informed opinions.
The celebratory nature of One World Week was brought to light by the vibrant activities of Holi, the Hindu festival of colour.
This year, with the mid-March sun shining bright and the skies blue, the scene was set for a truly unique celebration, with students from all across the University coming together to revel in the music and powdered paint, turning the early spring air a kaleidoscope of colour.
Vice-Chancellor Adam Tickell donned a change of clothes and took part in the celebrations himself, much to the delight of the hundreds of paint-strewn revellers around him.
One World Week has many more fantastic events this week; you can check the remaining schedule here.